We hope to solve the Narine riddle: Rohit

A STAFF REPORTER

Calcutta: Sunil Narine may have been a mystery spinner for most teams in IPL-V, but Mumbai Indians’ Rohit Sharma is hoping the offie wouldn’t be a problem for them with a little help from his West Indies teammates.

“He’s been bowling well... We’ve played him a few times when the West Indies were here... We’ve got a couple of West Indies players in our ranks and with their help and guidance we can tackle him,” Rohit said on the eve of their match against the Kolkata Knight Riders.

Rohit was referring to the likes of Kieron Pollard and Dwayne Bravo. The Mumbai Indians have had a roller coaster ride thus far in the competition. Out of 12 matches, they have won seven and lost five and are placed third in the table. Rohit said he was happy with the team’s position.

“At the moment, we are happy with the way we are doing... We could have done much better. We lost and won a few close matches. But that’s part and parcel of the game. We still have four more crucial ties to decide where we end up in the tournament. It’s very important to win every game. We’re not looking at the table. We know where we stand. We are focused on playing good cricket...”

Rohit is aware the Knight Riders are going to pose a tough challenge on Saturday. “It’s not going to be easy. We don’t know what kind of wicket we’ll get here,” he sounded apprehensive.

Rohit believes that despite the slam-bang approach associated with Twenty20, there is room for proper cricketing shots in the game’s shortest format.

“I believe if you play good cricketing shots you can get runs in any format... A lot of the players playing in the current IPL have been doing that. Rajasthan Royals’ Ajinkya Rahane is one of them. Mahela Jayawardene is another player who’s been doing so for years.

“Gautam Gambhir plays proper cricketing shots. If you bat in the proper fashion, you’ll succeed... If you back your ability, you can do well. There is no doubt about that. I’ve always believed that you do not need huge power to score runs, you can score if you time the ball well,” Rohit explained on Saturday.

The Mumbai Indians batsman is the top scorer for his team in IPL-V with 293 runs in 12 games.

Rohit, who has been coming at No. 3, said he has benefited immensely by batting with Sachin Tendulkar.

“Batting with Sachin has really helped me... You guys must have noticed that whenever I’m batting, he offers suggestions. He has been a good helping hand. I’ve really benefited a lot,” he said.

Rohit said he’s not focussing on the T20 World Cup in September at the moment. “The T20 World Cup is still a long way away. That’s in September. I’m not thinking about it now.

“I’m just trying to do well in the remaining games... My focus is to try and win the IPL for the Mumbai Indians. If I do well, things will automatically fall into place,” he felt.

Is he bothered by the talks that he hasn’t done justice to his potential? “Seriously, I don’t bother about what people keep on saying. My job is to enjoy my game. People will talk if you do well or not... It doesn’t bother me.

“Yes, I’ve had a few good and bad matches. But that is part of T20 cricket. It’s cricket on the fast lane. You don’t have time to settle... Let people talk. I will only take the positives and do whatever I think is necessary.”